Slider for slide fasteners



Feb. 11, 1969 A. R. MORRIS ET AL 3,426,398

SLIDER FOR SLIDE FASTENERS Filed Jan. 4, 1967 United States Patent 3,426,398 SLID ER FOR SLIDE FASTENERS Arthur R. Morris, Camille L. Provencher, and Sydney Silverman, Montreal, Quebec, Canada, assignors to The Export Corporation of Canada Limited, Montreal, Quebec, Canada Filed Jan. 4, 1967, Ser. No. 607,281 US. Cl. 24--205.14 2 Claims Int. Cl. A44b 19/24 ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Field of the invention The invention is in the general field of slide fasteners and in the specific area of sliders which are employed to close and open the conventional pair of slide fastener stringers.

Description of the prior art It has, heretofore, been proposed to employ automatic locking means in a slider to prevent accidental movement thereof along the fastener stringers. It has also been proposed to utilize a spring strip for this purpose, such strip having a locking prong biased into locking position and movable out of locking position by a pull tab which is usually attached to a slider.

The most serious objection to such prior devices is that the overall bulk of the resultant slider is increased to an objectionable and, therefore, unsatisfactory degree. It will be apparent that the slider of a slide fastener must be small and inconspicuous especially when employed on articles of clothing. Other incidental disadvantages comprise undesirable complication of the slider stnucture, difiiculties in manufacture, and unacceptable cost increases.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The invention resides in an improvement in a slider of conventional type including a front wall, a back wall, a web joining one end of each wall with one end of the other wall, a Y-shaped channel between the walls for guiding a pair of fastener stringers, and a pull tab connected to the front wall. The slider of the present invention includes a spring strip mounted on the front wall and having an end portion constituting a locking prong projecting freely through the front Wall into the channel. The strip is spring biased into locking position. The pull tab has a base mounted about a fixed pivotal axis on the front wall, such base having a cam section in engagement with a portion of the strip. This strip portion is movable in a direction away from the front wall by the cam section in response to pivotal movement of the pull tab base to withdraw the prong from looking position.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIGURE 1 is a plan view of a slider in accordance with the invention, and

FIGURE 2 is a side elevation, partly in section.

The slider body, which is ordinarily formed of metal or plastic composition, comprises a front wall or plate 10, a back wall or plate 11, and a neck or web 12 connecting the leading ends (in the fastener closing direction of movement of the slider) of the walls. The end portion of each wall adjacent the web is flared in the usual manner, as indicated at 10a and 11a. The front wall has depending edge flanges 13 each extending from the trailing end portions thereof remote from the neck and terminating short of the neck. The usual Y-shaped channel 14 is thus formed between the walls 10 and 11 and is adapted to receive a conventional pair of stringers.

In accordance with the invention, a pull tab 18 is swingably mounted on the front wall 10, such pull tab having a base pin or spindle 19, preferably integral therewith, which is journalled in a pair of spaced bearing lugs 20 fixedly mounted on, and preferably integral with, the front Wall 10. Each lug may be centrally split at 21 to facilitate entry thereinto of the pin 19. It will be apparent that the mounting described provides a fixed pivotal axis about which the pull tab may swing.

The base pin 19 has a cam section integrally formed thereon and comprising a cam 22 located between the lugs 20 and projecting towards the trailing end of the slider in the position of the tab illustrated in full lines in the drawing, this position coinciding with the locking position thereof.

A spring strip 23 has an end section 24 anchored in the leading end portion of the front wall 10, an intermediate loop 25 extending over and engaging the base pin 19 and cam 22 (and between lugs 20), and a prong 26 extending freely through an opening 27 in the front wall into the channel 14.

As shown, the strip 23 is of uniform cross section throughout its length and preferably comprises simply a length of round metal spring wire shaped as described. The end section 24 comprises a portion 28 disposed in a longitudinal recess 29 in the front wall and a hooked end 30 disposed in a recess 31 of the front wall. The front wall has a member 32 fixed thereto and bridging the recess 29' adjacent recess 31 to retain and anchor the end section 24 in the wall.

In the previously mentioned locking position of the pull tab, it is disposed substantially parallel to the outer surface of front wall 10 and projects over the trailing end of the slider. In this position, the prong 26 has its deepest penetration into channel 14 and projects between a pair of fastener elements 17 to prevent movement of the slider relative thereto.

When it is desired to move the slider either in a fastener opening or closing direction, the tab 18 is swung outwardly to a position approximating the dotted line position of FIGURE 2. This movement of the tab rotates the cam 22 to move the strip loop 25 outwardly of the front wall of the slider and to withdraw the prong 26 out of the path of the fastener elements in channel 14.

It will be apparent that the anchored section 24 of the spring strip biases it into the locking position described and that on manual release of the tab 18 the spring strip will tend to return automatically to locking position.

The slider described has but three moving parts and it will be observed that its overall thickness (in a direction perpendicular to the walls 10 and 11) has not been increased.

We claim:

1. In a slider for slide fasteners having a front wall, a back wall, a web joining one end of each said wall with one end of the other of said walls, a fastener element guiding cbannel between said walls, a spring strip constituting a locking member mounted on said front wall, said strip having an end portion projecting freely through said front wall into said channel and constituting a locking prong, said strip being spring biased to place said prong in locking position, and a pull tab having a base disposed between said front wall and said strip and being engageable with said strip to withdraw said prong from locking position, the improvement comprising (a) said pull tab base comprising a spindle extending transversely of said pull tab,

(b) a pair of lugs on said front wall having said spindle mounted therein,

(c) said spindle having a cam surface between said lugs, and

(d) said spring strip having (i) a second end portion fixedly anchored in said front wall,

(ii) an intermediate loop having a cam surface in engagement with said spindle cam surface, and

(iii) coplanar deformations therein forming said loop and end portions,

(e) said spring strip being entirely disposed in a single plane and being of uniform cross-section throughout its length,

(f) said pull tab being movable to move said loop in a direction away from said front wall in response to interaction of said cam surfaces and to withdraw said prong from said locking position.

2. In a slider for slide fasteners having a front wall, a back wall, a web joining one end of each said wall with one end of the other of said walls, a fastener element guiding channel between said walls, a spring strip constituting a locking member mounted on said front wall, said strip having an end portion projecting freely through said front wall into said channel and constituting a locking prong, said strip being spring biased to place said prong in locking position, and a pull tab having a base disposed between said front wall and said strip and being engageable with said strip to withdraw said prong from locking position, the improvement comprising,

(a) a spindle fixed to and extending transversely of said pull tab,

(b) a pair of lugs on said front wall having said spindle journalled therein,

(c) a cam fixed to said spindle between said lugs, and

(d) said spring strip having (i) a second end portion fixedly anchored in said front wall,

(ii) an intermediate loop seated on said spindle and said cam,

(iii) coplanar deformations therein forming said loop and end portions.

(e) said spring strip being entirely disposed in a single plane and being of uniform cross-section throughout its length,

(f) said pull tab being swingable to rotate said spindle and cam and thereby to move said loop in a direction away from said front wall and to withdraw said prong from locking position.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS FOREIGN PATENTS 1/1944 Great Britain. 11/1946 Great Britain.

BERNARD A. GELAK, Primary Examiner. 

